Quantum Mirror Series 2
by Deacon Heller
Summary: Sergeant Ford and SG10 jump start the Free Jaffa movement when they rescue a rebellious First Prime and three hundred of his closest friends from execution at the hands of the Under Lord Afa.


"Alright, we've hit the ground running, now let's keep up the pace." General Willis said to the briefing room of SG team leaders. "Apophis did us a favor and scared the hell out of the people at the Pentagon so they pushed this Alpha Base forwards, but we've got to keep proving our worth. The mine that Ten secured was a good start. If we can keep up this pace the SGC will build four more forward bases like this one. I want this one to continue to stand as the example of what can be done. Dismissed."

"Yes Sir." All the SG team leaders said as they stood up and Willis left the room.

Michael was new to the Tok'ra, but despite that he was now in charge of the Tok'ra operations on the Alpha Base. Merric was comfortable leaving Michael's symbiote Torin behind to watch over their interests as he reported back to the High Council. As Michael stood in Merric's quarters, which also served as the unofficial Tok'ra office, he felt a sense of disjointed familiarity. Everything was new yet completely familiar.

 _"Pick it up."_ Torin said to Michael inside his head as he looked at the healing device sitting in an open box on a makeshift chest of drawers that the Tau'ri had provided for Merric. _"The quickest way to get past this discomfort of duality that you are experiencing is for these things to become natural to you."_

Michael picked up the healing device and slipped it onto his hand. He felt it vibrate faintly as the Naquadah in his system activated it. He opened and closed his hand on it several times before putting it back in the box. Michael sat down on the end of the bed and tugged at his Tok'ra uniform uncomfortably. "I gotta do something about this."

Michael got up and stripped off the uniform and changed into the olive drab BDU's that the support staff wore around the base. He never put any patches on his jacket because he preferred to be anonymous.

 _"What do you have against the Tok'ra uniform?"_ Torin asked. _"It makes us perfectly identifiable as Tok'ra."_

"That's exactly the problem." Michael said out loud. "I've spent the last twenty years of my life trying to be invisible. Standing out actually makes me physically uncomfortable."

 _"I've noticed that you have a very different view of, what did you call it, espionage? You're approach is far more risky than I am comfortable with. We have devised a careful and productive strategy against the Goa'uld that is time tested and proven effective."_

"Here we go. I knew this conversation was coming. We need to talk about your methods. You've been at this for thousands of years and you are no closer today than when you started."

 _"We are trying to create the perfect opportunity to eliminate them all at once. The time is coming."_

"I'm here, the time has come."

 _"You think very highly of yourself."_

"Do you have a plan to get them all in one room and set off a bomb?"

 _"..."_

"That's what I thought. You've done things your way for two thousand years and all you've accomplished is an equilibrium of death and oppression. Now we do things my way."

 _"You will create chaos and destruction. Many will die if we try what you are thinking."_

"Many have died, many are dying, and many more will die if we do nothing."

 _"What do you propose?"_

"We need to change everything. Our security precautions, our means of communication, our tactics, it all needs to change."

 _"The High Counsel will not approve."_

"That's why we're not going to tell them."

 _"What are you planning?"_

"On Earth we say it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

 _"What does that mean?"_

"It means that unless you have been specifically told that you can't do something then it means that you can."

 _"And you got away with this?"_

"I built my career on this. No one is more qualified to make a decision about an operation than the person in the middle of it. My superiors trusted me enough to let me do things my way."

 _"The High Council will not."_

"Which is why we won't tell them anything until after we're done. Earth needs Naquadah mines, and we know of five. Three are heavily guarded, but two are not. Of the two that are not, one is controlled by Apohpis and one by Cronus. Both are too far to reach by ship, which means their only access is by the stargate."

 _"So?"_

"We hit them both simultaneously and use the long range communication device to leak false information that each mine was captured by Camulus. Retribution will be swift and severe. Both System Lords will lose a valuable asset and attack the wrong person."

 _"What do we do with the mines once we take them? What is to prevent recapture?"_

"A mechanical iris made of a trinium titanium alloy that we will install and control."

 _"The Tau'ri or the Tok'ra?"_

"Well since it will be a Tau'ri operation, risking only our men and resources we'll call it an 80/20 split."

 _"Fifty fifty."_

"That's funny. I see how you've kept yourself amused over the centuries."

 _"The Tok'ra need Naquadah too."_

"Seventy thirty. I'm the one that has to sell this to Willis. All you have to do is schedule a shipment of Naquadah."

 _"The High Counsel will be very upset if we try something like this without approval."_

"The High Counsel will thank us when we walk in and say _here's your Naquadah_."

 _"That's debatable."_

" Let's take it to Willis and see what he thinks."

They sat in the chair across from Willis's desk as he read the proposal for the joint operations. He read it slowly and carefully, or so he was trying to appear. Michael could tell he already read it and he was just thinking about it, but he waited patiently anyway.

"How confident are you that you can achieve both objectives?" Willis finally asked.

"We'll gate to each site first and asses all of their security while forming a plan to take each site."

"We? Who do you want to take with you?"

"Oh, sorry, Torin and I. We're still getting used to this." Michael looked to the side for a second. "I mean I'm, still getting used to this, but yes. I think we can do this."

 _"For the record,"_ Torin interrupted in a deep nasally voice, flashing Michaels eyes white. _"I do not share his confidence."_

"So you don't think that it can be done?" Willis asked Torin.

 _"It is possible, but I disagree with his risk assessment."_

"You don't think it's worth the risk?"

 _"It is difficult to say."_ Michael blinked and his eyes and voice returned to normal.

"You see what I have to deal with?" Michael said pointing towards his own head. "Sir, I can do this."

"Collect your intelligence and we'll revisit this." Willis said handing back the report to Michael. "I will need a very solid operation to justify two irises."

"Thank you General."

"I've called your teams into this meeting to talk about a very risky operation that Michael has proposed. I'll let him explain it." General Willis said to the six teams sitting in the briefing room.

"We're going to attack two Naquadah mines at once." Michael started.

"Suicide mission, woooooo!" Colt blurted out from the back of the room.

"Shut up Colt." Ford barked.

"What? This is exciting. I've never gone on a suicide mission." Colt said.

"Mine number one belongs to Apophis. It sits on the outer edge of his territory where it borders with Cronus. The teams that make this attack will be disguised as Jaffa loyal to Cronus. Once we capture the mine we will send a message to Apophis to gloat."

"How are we going to hold the world once we take it?" Ford asked.

"We will install an iris like the one we have here and back home." Michael said. The word home felt strange to him. "This will hopefully break the standing truce that Apophis and Cronus have at the moment. Apophis will strike and Cronus will retaliate."

"Sounds plausible so far." Colt muttered to Ford.

"The other set of teams will hit a mine held by Cronus, but disguised as Jaffa loyal to Camulus. Cronus will see this as an attack on two fronts. He will respond by attacking them both. This will open other opportunities in the future."

The following day the gate lit up and the vortex exploded and receded. Ford limped through the gate leaning on his staff weapon. Blood soaked through the rag wrapped around his left thigh and dripped down his leg and boot. Colt followed just behind him. Both men looked as though they had been in a long hard fight. Willis came down from the gate room in the temple on the east end of the gate plaza and looked over them as he approached Ford.

"What happened?" Willis asked.

"We encountered heavy resistance, but we were able to secure the mine." Ford reported. "We need to send more reinforcements. There are still pockets of resistance. I came back to report and re-arm." Ford said limping towards General Willis. "Colt, go to the armory and tell them what we need. We gate back out in twenty."

Colt nodded his head and walked away. He was unusually quiet.

"I don't know why they wear this damn armor, it's useless." Ford said to Willis as they walked away from the gate. Ford pulled the armor off piece by piece as they walked. "It doesn't stop shit."

"How heavy was the resistance?" Willis asked.

"Nothing we couldn't handle."

"How many more injured?"

"Seven. No fatalities."

"Torin expressed concerns that Michael may be needlessly reckless. How did his plan pan out?"

"Michael's attack plan was fine. It required some improvisation, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"What are your thoughts about Michael?"

"I don't trust the Tok'ra. They have their agenda and we have ours, and they only help us when those two things overlap. I think they're inept, complacent, and lack the will to finish what they started. Michael may have one of them in his head, but he's not one of them." Ford said firmly.

"Would you trust Michael to plan future operations?"

"Yes." Ford didn't hesitate.

"Alright. Get to medical and have your leg checked before you go back." Willis said before walking way.

"Yes Sir."

Ford spent the next two weeks limping around the new Naquadah mine he helped steal from Cronus. Colt spray painted _'10's MINE'_ on the beam by the entrance. It took five days to install the iris on the gate, and build a fortified outpost beside the DHD. It made Ford feel a little less exposed. Now he only had to watch the sky for ships. Ford was relieved when he was ordered back to the base.

Three days later Ford sat in the briefing room with all the other SG team leaders.

"Alright, Earth now has three producing Naquadah mines thanks to us. They're even stopped barking about the price of two irises. We've got three wins on the board and this has bought us some breathing room. You've all done outstanding work and now we're in a position to do something truly meaningful, but this is Michael's operation so I'll let him explain it." General Willis said.

Michael stood up and stood beside General Willis. "Word of the Tau'ri has begun to spread. That is mostly because of me, you're welcome. Rumors of the Tau'ri and free Jaffa have been spread out in the galaxy. As a result there was an actual uprising."

"That's great." Ford said to Michael.

"Yes and no. As we speak three hundred Jaffa are in chains awaiting execution because their attempted uprising failed. This is a good thing because it's a chance for the Tau'ri to make allies with the Jaffa. If we can rescue them it will be a victory much larger than just saving a few hundred men. It will be a PR nightmare for the Goa'uld. Word will continue to spread and there will be more uprisings. If enough Jaffa resist it will end the war. This could be the first domino."

"I volunteer Ten for the mission." Ford said.

"Good. The Goa'uld is named Afa. He was a minor System Lord hundreds of years ago, but eventually he lost power and most of his territory. He now only rules one planet. This is where we are going." Michael said.

"How many Jakes are we expecting?" One of the other team leaders asked.

"My contacts say his First Prime lead the revolt and at least half of the Jaffa followed him. Afa's power has been dwindling for centuries, and his army was small to being with, but the fighting was bloody and there were a great many deaths on both sides. I think that he will be executing more than half of his Jaffa."

"How many teams will you need?" Willis asked Michael.

"Five teams with four snipers."

"You already have a plan, don't you?" Ford asked. Michael smiled his wide and toothy smile.

The sun on Afa's planet was whiter than the one on Alpha Base, it stung Colt's eyes and he pulled the hood of his priests robes a little further down on his face. With his other hand he held his M-4 under his robes to his body as he walked. He followed three paces behind Michael, also dressed like a priest. Colt mimicked everything that Michael did as he had been instructed during the briefing.

The procession of priests, and Jaffa and wailing civilians went slowly from the village around the gate to the plaza in front of pyramid that sat before a wide mountain range. A long stone ramp led from the front of the pyramid to a platform that overlooked a flagstone plaza one hundred meters wide and two hundred meters long. Four cannon towers flanked the platform and were aimed on the center of the plaza.

Colt was sweating heavily under the thick brown robes he wore, but he stood motionless beside Michael. All the priests had lined up along the plaza while the remaining loyal Jaffa herded the friends and families of the traitors to the far end. They would be made to watch what happened to traitors. There were nearly a thousand women and children held at the end of a staff waiting to watch their husbands and fathers be executed.

It seemed like hours of waiting before the horns finally blew and the Jaffa were brought out in chains. Colt looked at the villagers and spotted two of the six men that would rush forward with bolt cutters to start cutting the Jaffa free when the shooting started. He glanced over the platform where the two Jaffa were blowing horns. He spotted one of the men from another team disguised as a Jaffa standing at attention.

When all the rebel Jaffa were at the front of the plaza and on their knees, the last horn sounded. A few seconds later Afa himself strode down the ramp from the pyramid to the platform looking down on the rebel Jaffa. He began to speak in the language of the Goa'uld. Colt couldn't understand anything he said, but the message was clear based on his tone. Finally Michael whispered for Colt to get ready, the speech was coming to an end.

Colt waited as he slowly reached into his robes and put his right hand on the grip of his rifle. He took a deep breath to relax himself and wait for the double click from the bud in his ear. Afa raised his hand. The tower canons split open with their magnetic hiss. Finally Colt heard them.

Colt examined all the SG1 reports where they encountered any of the Goa'uld, and he always saw the same pattern. As soon as the shooting started they would activate a personal shield and somehow slip away. When he pointed this out to Ford it became the signal to start shooting. Afa's chest exploded sideways as Ward gave him a .50 caliber heart ache.

Once Afa was down the next priority became the towers. Fire was concentrated on them before it was spread out on the loyal Jaffa guard, but even that didn't take long. The towers fell quickly to surprise and confusion, but the guard didn't.

No one was more confused than the rebel Jaffa. When the Tau'ri charged them and started cutting the free them didn't know what to do. Finally Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey, the short prodigy recently assigned to SG21, screamed at them to get in the fight. After that the momentum picked up quickly. The man that wore the golden symbol of First Prime began ordering his men into the fight, and to their credit the first Jaffa that were cut free charged staff weapons unarmed.

The fighting was short but intense. With their god laying on his back choking to death in his own blood their will to fight was quickly broken. Finally the First Prime climbed up the platform to face his oppressor. Ford and Colt quickly reached his side. The enraged Jaffa said nothing to either of them but instead raised the Zat'nik'tel and aimed it at the dying Goa'uld.

"I loved you and I hated you, but you didn't deserve either." He fired the zat gun once, and then twice, and then a third time. Afa vanished, leaving behind only a pool of blood.

"Viking funeral. Awesome." Colt finally said.

"We are the people of the Tau'ri." Ford said holding his hand out to the First Prime.

The muscular dark skinned man looked at Ford for the first time and said. "I am Tulol, of the Free Jaffa."

He grabbed Fords arm.

The gate on the Alpha Base light up and the vortex splashed forth. After it receded Ford led out a procession of three hundred Jaffa and over nine hundred civilians. Willis made his way through the crowds moving across the plaza until he found Ford.

"You said three hundred."

"We couldn't leave their families there Sir." Colt interjected.

"The loyal Jaffa retreated, but eventually there would have been reprisals." Ford said.

"I see." Willis said. "Get them through as quick as you can, I need to make a phone call."

"I hope he's calling Dominoes." Colt said as Willis walked away.

"I could eat a slice." Ford said.

It took two weeks for Dr. Forrester, the base's head doctor, to get all of the Jaffa and their families cleared. Once that was done Willis arranged for them to live in what SG10 originally designated as a housing complex just west of the main pyramid.

Settling twelve hundred refugees was easier than getting aid for them from Earth, but once Willis explained that Michael and SG10 helped kick start a Free Jaffa movement they were more willing to lend aid. Willis spent the next three weeks upgrading his medical facilities to deal with the explosion in the base population.

A month after the Jaffa were settled Willis pulled some strings and had enough barbeque sent through the gate to feed everyone on the base.

Six massive grills were set up at the north west corner of the gate plaza. Hundreds of old men, women, Jaffa milled around with base personnel. Children played on the lawn in front of the great pyramid while people sat on the grounds eating barbeque under the twin suns of a hazy red sky. General Willis stood beside one of the grills speaking with his assistant as Tulol and two other Jaffa approached him.

"General Willis, I express my thanks once again. This great feast is more than we could have hoped for from our new allies." Tulol said.

"I was happy to do it Tulol. How are your men and your families settling in?" Willis asked.

"Very well. My people are trying to become accustomed to our new way of life."

"Please let me know if you need anything. We treat our allies as equals."

"Equals." Tulol said with a smile.

"To show our commitment I would like you to choose ten of your best men to become part of our SG teams."

"I volunteer Ten for the first team to accept a Jaffa." Ford said walking up behind Willis.

"I give you my best warrior. This is Natock." Tulol pointed to the tall bronze skinned man beside him. He bore a black sigil on his forehead that matched Tulol. "He will serve you as well as he has served me."

"I pledge my allegiance to the Tau'ri and to your team." Natock said with a slight bow to Ford.

"Natock, welcome to the squad." Ford said as he held his arm out to the Jaffa. Natock grabbed it as they looked each other over. Five minutes later Ford was walking past a group of children that appeared to be playing some variation of soccer. He sat down on the short gate plaza wall between colt and Ward with a plate of tri tip and potatoes salad.

"We just got another man on the squad." Ford said to his men. "We're going to be the first SG team to integrate one of these Jaffa."

"We got an alien on the team? Sweet." Colt said. He swung his legs lazily as he sat on the wall and let his gaze wash over the crowd around him, and then he saw her. Colt recognized that she was part of one of the SG teams. Their uniforms were the NWU Type III, that meant they were SEALs. She was just shorter than Colt but she was slightly more thickly muscled than him. He instantly though that she could have been a fitness model or a body builder, and wondered why she was here and not on a beach somewhere in front of a photographer.

He watched her for a few seconds before her team passed a group of Jaffa warriors sitting on the lawn. Colt couldn't hear it, but he saw that one of them said something that made her stop.

"What kind of allies are these? They let women pretend to be warriors." A Jaffa growled as she walked by with her team.

Lieutenant Charlie Miller stopped and handed her plate of ribs to her team leader Lieutenant Commander Watts. "No. Lieutenant. Let it go."

Miller turned around and looked at the Jaffa that made the comments. "You want to say that to my face Buttercup?"

"Oh crap. We need to help her." Colt said as he stood up. Ford stood up and put his arm across Colt's chest to stop.

"No we don't. Just watch."

"She is gonna mess those guys up." Ward say with a grin as he looked up from his paper plate of pork ribs.

The Jaffa stood and approached her. He was lean and stood six inches taller than Charlie but she didn't hesitate to walk right up to him. He looked down on her as four more of the Jaffa around him rose to their feet.

"I said they let wo..."

Miller cut him off midsentence with an uppercut right under his jaw. It smashed his teeth together and forced his head back. He staggered one step backwards, giving Miller just enough space to lift up her right foot and plant a heel kick into his pelvis and send him to the ground.

"Ho-ly Wow!" Colt mumbled.

"The rumor is that she's a second generation Navy SEAL, and the first woman to be one." Ford said calmly.

"Plus I hear she went to the Olympics for Judo." Ward said.

"They say she was an amateur cage fighter too." Jefferson added.

One of the other Jaffa that rose grabbed her from behind, reflexively aiding his friend. Miller threw her head back and caught him right in the nose. His head rocked back and his arms loosened so Miller dropped her hips and lifted him for a throw that sent him five feet in front of her. He landed on his head and rolled into a limp, crumpled heap.

"She got some distance on that Jaffa." Ford said with a small grin.

A third Jaffa charged her from her left side. She flashed her left leg up for a side kick that landed right on his throat. He stumbled backwards and dropped, choking. The forth Jaffa punched her in the back of the head. She staggered forward two steps and turned to face him. He struck her two more times before she got her hands up and blocked the third punch with her arm. She stepped in closer to him and used her other arm to elbow him in the face. His legs buckled and he dropped to his knees. She kneed him in the face and sent him sprawling backwards to the ground.

Colt flinched as he watched her slam her knee into the stunned Jaffa warrior.

The last Jaffa stood motionless in a fighting stance, shock wouldn't let him move. Without hesitating Miller charged him and jump up to brought a round house punch down on the bridge of his nose. He dropped, unconscious, to the ground.

Watts let out a sharp whistle. Miller immediately stood at attention. Blood began dripping from her nose and mouth. General Willis and Tulol came marching over to the commotion. Willis got right in her face.

"What do you have to say for yourself Lieutenant?"

"Jaffa are surprisingly fragile, Sir?" Miller replied. Willis inhaled sharply to scream at her but Tulol cut him off.

"I like her. I would like her to instruct my Jaffa on the fighting methods of the Tau'ri." Tulol said loud enough for everyone around them to hear. Then he signaled more Jaffa to help up his injured men and take them to medical. Tulol led his men away and Willis walked off. Miller watched them leave out of the corner of her eye and then relaxed.

She looked around and finally walked over to Colt. She took the handful of paper towels from his hand and wiped the blood from her face. He could only look at her with wide eyes and an absent smile. She gave him an odd look and shoved the paper towels back into his hand and walked away.

"Oh, my, God! I'm in love." Colt whispered.

"She'd snap you in half." Ford said.

"I'm gonna risk it."

"There's easier ways to get yourself killed." Ward said through a mouthful of pork.

"Just go stand in front of the gate." Ford added.

"She will be mine, and our children will be glorious." Colt said.

"And like their mother, able to beat the shit out of you."

Michael and Merric watch the scuffle from the shadow of one of the smaller temples. They sat by themselves on the grass a few feet from knot of small children.

"Humans." Merric scoffed.

"I'm a human." Michael pointed out.

"You're a Tok'ra. Which reminds me, we need to talk about your behavior. Why don't you wear the uniform?"

"It's uncomfortable. What did you have to skin to make those?"

"These uniforms distinguish us as what we are."

"I don't like to stand out, look, I've already had this conversation with Torin."

"I find it difficult to believe that he would go along with your reckless schemes. The High Council has already expressed concerns about your blending."

"Torin, you want to weigh in on this?" Michael said to himself. His eyes flashed white and his voice changed.

 _"Michaels methods are vastly different from our own, but they are effective."_

"You've been lucky so far, but it won't last."

 _"Don't insult me Merric I'm much older and much wiser than you. Do you think I would ever let him try something I thought would fail? There is a great deal of merit to his criticisms of our ways. We have become stagnant, too afraid to take risks."_

"Take care what you say, the High Counsel may not be as understanding as I am."

 _"If they have a problem with us they can tell us themselves, if they're not too busy using all the Naquadah we've been sending them."_

"You're allowing your host too much influence on you."

 _"Your opinion has been noted and ignored. Now let me enjoy these ribs. Human food is amazing."_ Torin said before he closed his eyes and looked down at his plate.

"Seriously, let me eat. I haven't had real food in weeks." Michael said.


End file.
